From our founding on June 13, 2007 – Bishop Weigand appointed Fr. Soane T. Kaniseli to begin to put together the parish that would  become known as St. Maria Goretti.  He began forming the parish by holding daily Masses in various parishioners’ homes.  Through the generosity of St. Joseph’s Parish and talented parishioners, many of the furnishings and religious articles needed for a new parish to get started were donated.

On August 31, 2007 – The house on Robbins Road was purchased and became the center for worship, music ministries, committee meetings and the living quarters for Fr. Soane.  St. Maria Goretti Parish had a home where daily Masses could be celebrated.  The parish contacted Sheldon High School to rent the cafeteria for Sundays Mass and classrooms for CFF programs.  Initially, only two Masses were  being celebrated, but a third Mass was added as the cafeteria filled up each Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Diocese had purchased 19 acres on Bradshaw Road for the future Parish Pastoral Center, Rectory, School and Church. 

On January 1, 2010 – Fr. Soane was reassigned and Fr. Terry A. Fulton became the new pastor of this new and struggling parish.  One of the things the finance council did was purchase (pay off) the house  outright on Robbins Road and we began saving $6,000 a quarter in interest payments.  In one year our family count went from 300 families to over 600 families and we began making plans to move forward to build our new Parish Pastoral Center on Bradshaw Road.

On January 27, 2010 –  The City Council of Elk Grove approved our plans to build the Parish Pastoral Center and Rectory on Bradshaw Road.  It had been a long and tortuous process up to this point to believe we could ever build a permanent home for St. Maria Goretti  Parish.  After  three years of heated discussions between the neighbors and Elk Grove City council, the new Parish Pastoral Center and the Rectory was approved to be built on the 19 acres donated by the Diocese of Sacramento.  And after building their new Church, Good Shepherd Parish gave us the huge Crucifix that had been hanging in their Parish Center.

On October 2010 – The parish conducted a feasibility study in order to determine if enough parishioners had registered in the parish and were willing to commit to a capital campaign to move ahead to build the Parish Pastoral Center and Rectory.  The results were supportive enough for the Bishop’s office to give us their blessing and we began making plans within the next year to build on our 19 acres.

On January 2011 – The development committee selected Guidance In Giving, Inc. to begin to put together our capital campaign.  We were underway with a long standing dream to finally have our own home to worship and celebrate ourselves as people of God.

May 1, 2011 – Ground breaking & blessing of grounds by Bishop Jaime Soto.

July 1, 2011 – Construction begins on the parish center and the rectory.

August 18, 2012 – Dedication of new Parish Center to be used as our Church.  Our first Mass is Celebrated!
 

Our Priests Through the Years